§ Mr. WARDLEasked the President of the Board of Education what has been done towards a settlement of the schools question at Grantham?
§ Mr. J. A. PEASEThe detailed proposals referred to in my last answer on this subject to the hon. Member were received by the Board on the 24th April from the local education authority, and the Board communicated their criticisms upon the schemes submitted on the 3rd May. On the 18th June the local education authority put forward other proposals, upon which the Board instructed their divisional inspector and their architect to visit the existing schools and report fully to the Board upon the premises. A report on the premises of each school has been forwarded to the authority, who were furnished on the 25th July with the Board's observations on their new proposals. The Board have been informed that the authority are in negotiation for the purchase of a site of about two acres in the south-western part of the borough, and they have asked that the question of the provision of suitable and sufficient school accommodation in the borough may be treated with the utmost possible dispatch, and have warned the authority that2952W the continued infringement of the regulation of the code with respect to overcrowding is a serious breach of the conditions of Grant and that plans of the proposed site and buildings of the new school should be forwarded to the Board without delay. The Board were informed on the 27th July that the local authority have arranged to hold a special meeting at an early date to receive the reports of the managers upon the Board's suggestions and that after the special meeting a further communication will be sent.